PizzaSales

Super Bowl Sunday has become a jackpot for the pizza industry.

At least 800 pounds of it, said the manager of Pizza Hut on DeRenne Avenue near Abercorn Street.

"This week is the biggest week of the year," Brisbon said. "And we're armed for bear."

About the time the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers take to Detroit's Ford Field, some pizza makers in Savannah say phones at their stores on Sunday will be ringing off the hook.

Super Bowl Sunday - a day when sofas and armchairs get more use than gardening tools and golf clubs - has become a jackpot for the $37 billion pizza industry.

The National Restaurant Association estimates that about one out of seven Americans orders takeout or delivery food from a restaurant for Super Bowl jamborees at home. Pizza tops the list. Chicken wings are second and subs or sandwiches are third.

Another one in 20 Americans catches the game at a restaurant or bar.

On a day when the dough flows both ways, it's all hands on deck at Brisbon's shop. He said none of his 20 staffers have the day off, including his seven delivery drivers, who on Super Bowl Sunday average about $150 in tips.

His crew can bake anywhere from 30 to 50 pies per hour, Brisbon said. He expects to be extra-slammed when Pizza Hut's newest commercial, showcasing its Cheesy Bites Pizza, airs nationwide during the game.

The ad will feature singer Jessica Simpson, strutting in knee-high boots and short skirt, feeding the "Bites" to customers.

"And you know as soon as they see Jessica the phone is going to start ringing," Brisbon said.

Christopher Tierney manages Papa John's Pizza in Savannah. He expects Sunday will break the store's pizza-making record for the week.

During one week in December his store made 6,000 pizzas. He estimates to sell 1,000 pizzas on Sunday alone.

"And that's just pizza," Tierney said. "We also have chicken strips and wings."

Clifford Woods, 19, said he and 10 friends will be huddled around a television on Sunday, chewing on order-out pizza and chicken wings.